Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport and the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment and Transport and to note and comment on Kent County Council awarding contracts to the preferred tenderers following the completion of a procurement process for the provision of Waste treatment and/or final disposal contract/s.

(1)       The Cabinet Committee received the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport and the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment and Transport which contained information on the forthcoming procurement and award of waste treatment and/or final disposal contract/s in accordance with chosen evaluation methodology which would be stated in the relevant published Invitation to Tender.  Roger Wilkin, Head of Waste Management, was in attendance to introduce the report and in particular referred to the following:

(2)       Procurement would be undertaken by KCC Waste Management to identify providers to receive, process and/or dispose of residual waste (i.e. waste which could not be recycled or composted) which was unsuitable for the Allington Energy from Waste (EfW) plant, or was diverted from Allington during periods of maintenance shut-downs.

(3)       Approximately 58,668 tonnes of residual waste per annum was unsuitable for the Allington EfW because of its bulky nature.  Typically a further 43,815 tonnes was diverted to other sites because of plant maintenance.  The new contracts for household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) and waste transfer stations (WTS) required the use of innovative techniques to ensure no material which could be recycled or composted was included in such residual waste.

(4)       To date all waste unsuitable for the Allington EfW had been landfilled, however the Waste Management team wished to engage with the market to use such waste as a resource, and in doing so make a significant contribution towards the target of sending zero waste to landfill.  Landfill would, however, remain an option should more innovative solutions prove unaffordable.

(5)       The proposed contract/s were required to fulfil the Council’s statutory duty, as the Waste Disposal Authority, to dispose of residual waste from district council kerbside collection and HWRCs. 

(6)       The proposed contract/s would commence in September 2015 for an initial term of five years, which would enable co-termination with existing contracts for the majority of HWRCs and WTS.

(7)       In response to questions raised and comments made the Committee received the following further information:

(8)       Diversion of waste from Allington EfW to landfill was cost neutral.

(9)       The number of technical issues at Allington had reduced in recent years.  The facility was shut down for approximately four weeks a year.  Allington was a complex contract and a future Member briefing was suggested.

(10)    The Waste Management team were looking at innovative techniques including the gasification or the recycling of mattresses.

(11)    Mr Burr stated that the Commissioning Advisory Board was primarily concerned with Transformation but in the future would be involved in this sort of commissioning.

(12)    RESOLVED that the award of contracts to the preferred tenderers following the completion of a procurement process for the provision of waste treatment and/or final disposal contract/s be noted.